What Makes Our Program Distinct?

The Family Nurse Practitioner specialty of the DNP is unique in two respects:

• Faculty members are committed educators as well as practitioners and each continues to practice professionally to remain grounded in clinical practice.
• Clinical practicum experiences will be arranged to meet the individual needs of students while also meeting accreditation and certification requirements.

Family nurse practitioner students learn to:

• obtain comprehensive health histories
• conduct physical examinations
• diagnose and treat common acute and chronic problems
• interpret laboratory results and diagnostic procedures
• prescribe and manage medications and other therapies
• provide supportive counseling and patient and family education and work collaboratively with other health professionals to optimally manage patient care within a family context.

Our graduates are prepared to:

• Critically analyze data and evidence to improve advanced practice nursing practice
• Provide leadership to foster collaboration with multiple stakeholders to improve health care
• Recognize and demonstrate an understanding of the interdependence of policy and practice
• Provide the full spectrum of health services to include health promotion, disease prevention, health protection, anticipatory guidance, counseling, disease management, palliative and end-of-life care to patients and their families across the lifespan
• Provide patient-centered care recognizing cultural diversity and the patient or designee as a full partner in decision-making
• Integrate appropriate technology into practice to promote safe, high quality and cost-effective care